Blue States Plan To Fight Trump’s ‘Anti-Weaponization’ Fund With a 100 Percent Tax

As President Trump’s $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund bedevils GOP lawmakers, two blue states are taking measures into their own hands to stop citizens from receiving taxpayer money. Both New York and California will consider legislation to confiscate any such funds with a 100 percent tax. Mr. Trump is establishing the fund as part of his lawsuit settlement with the IRS — a settlement that would also save Mr. Trump, his family, and his businesses from any future investigations. The fund is meant to be used to compensate those who were victims of “lawfare” during the Biden administration, though many Republicans are concerned that the money will be used to pay January 6 rioters or pay off any one of the president’s allies who have had run-ins with the law in the past. Republican senators are already revolting over the settlement fund. Last week, the majority leader, Senator John Thune, canceled a series of votes on the bill to fund immigration enforcement through 2028 over the fact that GOP senators were preparing to undo the fund. Now, as senators fret about that process, New York and California are hoping to get ahead of any payouts the Justice Department may soon disburse. On Wednesday, a congressional candidate and New York State assemblyman, Alex Bores, said he had introduced a bill to tax any “anti-weaponization” payments at a 100 percent rate. “It’s simple: if you’re a New Yorker and you take from this illegal slush fund, New York state will tax 100 percent of it,” Mr. Bores said in a video posted on X. “If you storm the Capitol and you take from this slush fund, too bad, we’re taking it.”Mr. Bores is calling the bill the Anti-Insurrectionist Act. Shortly after Mr. Bores announced his legislation, Governor Gavin Newsom told reporters that he wants his state’s Democratic legislature to draft an identical bill. “Anyone from California that receives any of those funds, we want to tax 100 percent of those proceeds,” Mr. Newsom said at a press event. “That’s an action that the state of California can take. That’s an action we’re looking forward to taking.”Currently the fund does not have any limits on who is eligible to receive money. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Vice President Vance have both repeatedly said that payments will be decided on a “case-by-case basis.” Neither man ruled out settlements for those either convicted or accused of assaulting law enforcement officers. The settlement fund may also be open to those who ran into trouble with the law before the Biden administration. One lawmaker, Congressman Andrew Clyde, told Politico that he may seek a payout after the IRS seized hundreds of thousands of dollars from him all the way back in 2013. On the federal level, Republicans are widely expected to either kill the fund before any money can be doled out or severely restrict eligibility for payment. Congressmen Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican, introduced a bill with Congressman Tom Suozzi, a Democrat, to eliminate the fund altogether. A second Republican, Congressman Mike Flood, told constituents at a town hall meeting on Tuesday that he wants to see January 6 rioters excluded from eligibility and added that he will follow Republican senators’ lead on additional restrictions on the settlements.

Blue States Plan To Fight Trump’s ‘Anti-Weaponization’ Fund With a 100 Percent Tax

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